


Daydreams of a Weary Tactician

by hibiren



Series: Jay's Gladnis Collection [33]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Bathtubs, Daydreaming, Emotional, Emotions, Galdin Quay (Final Fantasy XV), Gladnis, Hotels, M/M, One Shot, Romance, Self-Reflection, Slow Romance, Sweet, Zine: Eos Compendium Zine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-26
Updated: 2020-03-26
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:48:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23282773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hibiren/pseuds/hibiren
Summary: [For the Eos Compendium Zine] Ignis takes a little bit of time to himself, and his mind wanders into a daydream about Gladiolus...
Relationships: Gladiolus Amicitia/Ignis Scientia
Series: Jay's Gladnis Collection [33]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1151849
Comments: 7
Kudos: 13
Collections: Eos Compendium





	Daydreams of a Weary Tactician

**Author's Note:**

> Ahh working in the Eos Compendium was a great experience and I'm so glad I could be a part of the team! The team did a wonderful job with the project and the mods made the digital zine super in depth, I'm really blown away by all the neat formatting! :D I hope everyone enjoys the small gladnis contribution I made~
> 
> Go check out the zine [ here!](https://twitter.com/eoscompendium/status/1242120510785368064)  
> And the project's [twitter page here!](https://twitter.com/eoscompendium)

The sound of ocean waves and the light smell of salt in the air welcomed change from the hours and hours the four spent driving in the all-too-cramped car. Ignis was more than happy to stretch his sore legs and take a much-needed stop for gas at Galdin Quay. Noctis needed to catch up on his fishing, of course, and Prompto seemed more than delighted to accompany him to get a few photographs of the always picturesque sunsets the coast offered.

Ignis had some time while Gladiolus was on his evening run to settle their lodgings for the evening. Two rooms this time; one for himself and the Shield, and the other for Prompto and Noctis. They could pick up their keys when they returned this way, and Ignis could have some time alone to recover from the drive.

 _Yes, let them make a mess of their own room; at least Gladiolus cleans up after himself. I’m tired of wading through wrappers and takeout boxes and gods know whatever else to get to the bed,_ Ignis thought somewhat bitterly to himself as he opened the door to his shared room and inspected the inside. It was the usual, simple, spotless interior - no surprises there. The half-parted curtains let in large stripes of the evening’s orange-gold sunrays as well as a beautiful view of the sparkling waves.

As he moved to draw the curtains closed, Ignis caught a glimpse of Gladiolus’ back as he ran along the shoreline, likely on his second circuit of his usual path by now. Ignis watched for a few long seconds before pulling the curtains together and muttering aloud to himself,

“I might have enough time for a bath before Gladiolus returns.”

It was out of habit, surely, but Ignis was used to having to _schedule_ bathing times not only for himself but for all of them. Especially when they stayed at motels or caravans where the hot water supply was not only limited but barely passed temperature requirements. “Hot” was an overstatement; lukewarm showers were a gift from the gods at best. Their room at Galdin, therefore, was an absolute blessing that Ignis planned to take full advantage of. No more driving for the night, no more chores to keep track of (that Ignis foresaw, at least) and even though the nagging thought that _something_ still needed doing pestered the back of his thoughts, Ignis forced himself to push that all aside and try to focus on relaxing instead.

With a bitter chuckle, Ignis picked up a folded towel from a shelf just outside the bathroom and ventured inside to start up the bath. As the bathtub filled he absentmindedly mused, “I’m stressing about having time to relax and enjoy my evening. How backwards…”

A bottle to the side of the tub caught Ignis’ attention and he reached over to pick it up so he could inspect the contents and find out what it was. The label read “Cygillan Salt Soak” - clearly something left to be added at the guest’s leisure, for relaxation. With a shrug, Ignis unscrewed the lid and shook a good few handfuls of the strangely mint-tinted salt into the filling bathtub. _Whatever helps,_ thought Ignis, _even if it turns out to be a placebo._

Gentle tendrils of steam rose up from the quickly-filling bath, and the mingling taste of salt hinting in the air reminded him of the ocean just outside. Naturally, the bathroom didn’t have much in the way of windows aside from high, frosted-glass skylights in the ceiling to let in the coast’s natural light, so Ignis simply decided that he would enjoy the view from the room’s outer deck later. Perhaps over dinner with Gladiolus, perhaps alone. Only time and fate could really answer for him.

“I ought to hurry, before Gladiolus returns,” Ignis muttered while undoing his shoelaces, hoping that the growing steam in the room would help him relax. He still felt pent-up, and couldn’t explain why.

* * *

The water remained warm for a luxurious amount of time, so much so that Ignis laid his head back against the far edge of the tub and closed his eyes, somewhat floating in the full bath - drifting into a half-sleep. The sensation of floating gently in suspended warmth was almost certainly dreamlike to the exhausted Tactician.

“Is this really what it’s like to relax? Has it been this long?” he breathed, inhaling deeply, and then exhaled a contented sigh. Ignis swore he could actually _feel_ himself untensing, forgetting himself in the water for just a while. The bath certainly offered luxury in more ways than one, in that aspect… it really was a welcome change, a pause in their increasingly hectic lives. It almost felt like he shouldn’t be doing this. Shouldn’t be taking any personal time. It felt wrong - selfish, perhaps? - to partake in this luxury. But it was true that Noctis and Prompto, Gladiolus as well, would still be gone for a while. Ignis had done everything else he’d thought to do until he’d just sat idly on one of the hotel’s chairs and perused the pages of his recipe notebook. At least this way he could both clean off and have some precious relaxation time.

Ignis lost himself in his thoughts, in the lack thereof of distractions, of the lack of things to snag his attention like wading through brambles… he began to daydream (perhaps very selfishly, yet that’s the best thing about daydreaming) about what it would be like if they never had to leave the Quay. In another world, another timeline. Noctis could fish as much as he’d like. Prompto would have scenery within walking distance, and could take as many pictures as his heart desired and his camera could hold. Gladiolus, too, could run along the beach and camp on the sand and swim in the waves and gaze up at the starry sky at night… and Ignis could make better friends with the hotel’s chefs, talk of recipes and culinary art and discoveries. All while enjoying the peace of this alternate life. Maybe he could even ask Gladiolus what he thought about pursuing a romantic relationship… if he wasn’t taken by anyone else, of course. And that was a very strong maybe, even for a daydream.

Each of them had responsibilities, duties to fulfill, callings to follow. There really wasn’t any room to get distracted by such musings and yet, Ignis still wondered. Wondering was all he could give, since he knew such things would never come to pass. Not the way he dreamed it. His thoughts, his daydreams, would have to suffice enough - of peace, and laughter, and calm nights and the sound of the ocean filling his ears, the salty air like a remedy to his exhausted body.

If they’d lived in another world, another life, perhaps Ignis could actually give himself some time to think about romance. About the fact that he knew he cared more for Gladiolus than he let show - to the best of his ability. His duties and his work came first - as was the mantra he kept repeating to himself whenever such thoughts came about - but over the years it had become increasingly more difficult to balance his interest in Gladiolus with keeping Noctis in line, on schedule, and ready for anything. In a way, Gladiolus had his back in a way that Noctis didn’t; he understood where Ignis came from, what he had to deal with, and could talk him through stress in a way that only he could. There were multiple times Ignis really owed Gladiolus his life but Ignis never said much of it, to not draw too much attention to himself. He was a tactician, a face in the background, a call over the sounds of battle and nothing more.

Ignis hadn’t even noticed that the bathroom door was open until he reached for the edge of the tub to pull himself up and reach for the bath’s tap to fill it with just slightly more hot water - but instead he met gazes with Gladiolus, who looked like he’d been just about ready to take a shower. He had a towel wrapped around his waist and that only made the guilty thoughts that Ignis was having worse. Had Gladiolus come back from his run early, or had Ignis just been that out of it, that stuck in his thoughts?

“Ah… Gladiolus…? I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you come in at first. I’m just about finished in the bath, if you needed it,” Ignis offered, glancing away when a sudden wave of awkwardness overcame him. Why was this awkward? Ignis shouldn’t have felt that uncomfortable but given his prior thoughts, his mind was wandering into a dangerous place, a place he knew he’d have difficulty returning from without consequences.

“Yeah, I just wanna shower real quick. Hope that’s okay? I can come back later,” Gladiolus said, raising an eyebrow. “Actually… Ignis… you wanna join me? Hadn’t seen you in a while so, I just wanted to make sure you’re alright. You okay?”

“Y-Yes, I’m alright. Thank you. I suppose it _would_ be good to wash this saltwater off my skin. I don’t think it’s healthy to soak too long. I seem to have lost track of time. I suppose I indulged myself in daydreaming a bit longer than I intended.”

“Daydreaming’s good for you every now and then, y’know? If you grab a towel, I’ll go get the shower started,” With a warm smile, Gladiolus added, “Nice to not have to worry about running out of hot water here, huh? I love this place.”

“Yes, I do as well… I’ll be right back. Please excuse me.”

Ignis felt like he was on autopilot as he grabbed his towel, covering himself as he slowly stood after pulling the drain out of the tub and made his way over to join Gladiolus in the shower. This wasn’t the first time they had - even between the four of them - split a shower, of course, but Ignis could just tell there was something _different_ between them now, unspoken, in the air this time. Maybe his daydreams one day would no longer be just that… one day, he might have the courage to tell Gladiolus how he really felt, how much he longed to be with him. If there was one self-indulgent thing he ever allowed himself, it would be a confession of his feelings. But he would have to allow himself that self-indulgence first.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! It feels like I wrote this piece so long ago (like with the Prompto Zine piece xD) but I'm glad to finally be able to share it!


End file.
